All Blog Posts from Tech Talk

I had a bit of a “question your emotional involvement in this trip” moment today when one of the bottles on the main water sampling device – the rosette – “tripped” on the way down and broke 4 others. When told, I jumped up and screamed “you’re kidding me!” at top volume. I was a history major, so this sort of outburst is rare. But the rosette is really the heart of the operation, and without water samples, practically no one on board can do their research. I don’t want the scientists to be sad.

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It really only bothered me because I detest olives, especially when they're passed off as "seal eyes." Give me a break. But if given the choice, I would probably do the initiation all over again, particularly the part where the "sergeant at arms" invited me to participate in Daniel's hazing. Probably the first and last time I'll crack eggs on a correspondent's head.

The creepiest part: being blindfolded - very hostage crisis and very disorienting on a seriously big ship. Kneeling before King Neptune and his "hag wife" was deeply humiliating, and "kissing the feet of the queen" was really "kissing a can of herring," or something comparable. I of course couldn't tell.

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I was invited to the Captain’s Sunday dinner, or dinner with “the old man.” Five courses with wine, scotch, Sambucca, and Bailey’s would usually be considered a lot. But this was perfect ...

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